[AktiviX] Should we use Linux at all?

[Alan Dawson]

I copy this back to list as we seem to have fallen off of it :-)  Nicely
mirroring the brief conversation in irc.indymedia.org/#uk last night.  I
personally think its worth setting default reply-to  as the list as we maximise
the information flow into the collective :-)  ... but back on topic again.

Quoting max <max at tofubandits.org.uk>:

> perhaps the question should be "should we use computers at all?"
> 
> and if we can't tear ourselves away from them (despite the massive social and
> 
> environmental costs of producing and disposing of electronics, despite all 
> the electricity and climate change...) then does it matter what we use? the 
> military use microsoft-ware too. so we could write our own OS from scratch 
> (again?) and have a GPL-plus saying "only nice people can use this". of 
> course GCHQ, NSA and the world's military will respect this, and so will 
> multinational corporations...
> 
> nevertheless, it was an interesting and thought provoking article - any ideas
> 
> how we can start a dialogue here in the uk on these issues?
> 
> max
> 
> 
> On Wednesday 21 Apr 2004 5:10 pm, Alan Dawson wrote:
> > http://technology.newsforge.com/technology/04/04/20/2229245.shtml
> >
> > Can LUG's be radicalised ?
> >


Technology often seems to work in dialectical fashion.. the growth of the urban
conurabations during the industrial revolution acting for capital, but also
allowing the creation of a working class political movement... the growth of a
global media and the growth of a global anticapitalist movement. 

Sure the environmental issues of  need to be worked out, but a refusal of
technology will not provide sustainable solutions otherwise when the industrial
agricultural system collapses you will need to be able to defend your organic
allotments from urban marauders.

With respect to LUG's perhaps a gentle push towards open methods of organisation
and decision making can help?  My worst experience of LUG's is that they have a
tenous collectivity based around 'otherness' of Linux.  Often there  dicussion
fora are managed by a l33t godking who can kick or ban participants who have
different opnions in  firewall rulesets or RFC compliance.  At their best LUG's
provide an invaluable resource showing the quality of open source and easing
people away from bill hates nanny state.  As Linux moves mainstream the LUG's
will change, but will they become the IBM / SUN / Novell knowledge base, or
will the ability to fork ( arguably the real power of open source) move into
mainstream conciousness ? 

AED
-- 
"The long revolution is creating small federated microsocieties, true guerilla 

 cells practising and fighting for this self-management. Effective radicality  
 authorises all variations and guarantees every freedom. "